Power source for an aerosol delivery device

ABSTRACT

An aerosol delivery device is provided. The aerosol delivery device comprises at least one housing that defines a reservoir configured to retain aerosol precursor composition, and contains a heating element and power source within the at least one housing. The heating element is controllable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. The power source is configured to power to heating element to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. The power source comprises a supercapacitor having a corrugated graphene-based structure.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices such assmoking articles, and more particularly to aerosol delivery devices thatmay utilize electrically generated heat for the production of aerosol(e.g., smoking articles commonly referred to as electronic cigarettes).The smoking articles may be configured to heat an aerosol precursor,which may incorporate materials that may be made or derived from, orotherwise incorporate tobacco, the precursor being capable of forming aninhalable substance for human consumption.

BACKGROUND

Many smoking devices have been proposed through the years asimprovements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products that requirecombusting tobacco for use. Many of those devices purportedly have beendesigned to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar orpipe smoking, but without delivering considerable quantities ofincomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from theburning of tobacco. To this end, there have been proposed numeroussmoking products, flavor generators and medicinal inhalers that utilizeelectrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt toprovide the sensations of cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking withoutburning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the variousalternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heatgenerating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 toCollett et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. See also,for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol deliverydevices and electrically-powered heat generating sources referenced bybrand name and commercial source in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2015/0216232 toBless et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally,various types of electrically powered aerosol and vapor delivery devicesalso have been proposed in U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2014/0096781 to Sears etal. and 2014/0283859 to Minskoff et al., as well as U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/282,768 to Sears et al., filed May 20, 2014;Ser. No. 14/286,552 to Brinkley et al., filed May 23, 2014; Ser. No.14/327,776 to Ampolini et al., filed Jul. 10, 2014; and Ser. No.14/465,167 to Worm et al., filed Aug. 21, 2014; all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

It would be desirable to provide aerosol delivery devices that utilizemicroscopic supercapacitors as a power source.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods offorming such devices, and elements of such devices. The presentdisclosure includes, without limitation, the following exampleimplementations. In some example implementations, an aerosol deliverydevice is provided. The aerosol delivery device may comprise at leastone housing that defines a reservoir configured to retain aerosolprecursor composition. The aerosol delivery device may also comprise aheating element and power source contained within the at least onehousing. The heating element is controllable to activate and vaporizecomponents of the aerosol precursor composition. The power source isconfigured to power to the heating element to activate and vaporizecomponents of the aerosol precursor composition. The power sourcecomprises a supercapacitor having a corrugated graphene-based structure.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of thepreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the power source comprises a plurality of supercapacitorsincluding the supercapacitor connected in parallel.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the power source further comprises a thin-film solid statebattery connectable with and chargeable from the supercapacitor, and thepower source being configured to provide power to the heating elementincludes being configured to provide power from the thin-film solidstate battery to the heating element. The supercapacitor also reducesthe spike from the solid state battery when it is being turned on, thusincreasing the life of the thin film solid state battery.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the supercapacitor is chargeable from a source of energy thatis or includes a universal serial bus (USB) charger, wall charger,photovoltaic cell or piezoelectric energy source.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the supercapacitor is integrated with the photovoltaic cell orpiezoelectric energy source. The Photovoltaic cell is a 28.8% efficientGaAs photovoltaic cell from Alta devices.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the corrugated graphene-based structure includes two one-atomthick layers of graphene and an electrolyte interposed therebetween,each of the two one-atom thick layers of graphene having an exteriorsurface adhered to a flexible substrate.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the supercapacitor has a thickness of less than or equal to ten(10) micrometers (μm), an interspace distance between the two one-atomthick layers of graphene is less than or equal to one hundred and fifty(150) micrometers (μm), and the electrolyte has a thickness of less thanor equal to 150 μm.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, each of the two one-atom thick layers of graphene includes ahoneycomb lattice of carbon atoms.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the electrolyte is a solid-state electrolyte separator betweenthe two one-atom thick layers of graphene.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the electrolyte is an iongel or hydrogel electrolyte.

In some example implementations of the aerosol delivery device of anypreceding or any subsequent example implementation, or any combinationthereof, the supercapacitor has a power density greater than or equal toone hundred and fifty (150) watts per centimeters cubed (W/cm³), and atime constant less than or equal to twenty (20) microseconds (μs).

In some example implementations, a control body coupled or coupleablewith a cartridge to form an aerosol delivery device is provided. Thecartridge may be equipped with a heating element and contain an aerosolprecursor composition. The heating element may be configured to activateand vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. Thecontrol body may include a housing and a power source contained withinthe housing and configured to power the heating element to activate andvaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. The powersource may comprise a rechargeable supercapacitor having a corrugatedgraphene-based structure.

In some example implementations of the control body of the preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thepower source comprises a plurality of supercapacitors including thesupercapacitor connected in parallel.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thepower source further comprises a thin-film solid state batteryconnectable with and chargeable from the supercapacitor, and the powersource being configured to provide power to the heating element includesbeing configured to provide power from the thin-film solid state batteryto the heating element.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thesupercapacitor is chargeable from a source of energy that is or includesa universal serial bus (USB) charger (e.g., high speed USB 2.0 or superspeed USB 3.0), wall charger, photovoltaic cell comprising of GaAs fromAlta device which have 98.8% efficiency or piezoelectric energy source.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thesupercapacitor is integrated with the photovoltaic cell or piezoelectricenergy source.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thecorrugated graphene-based structure includes two one-atom thick layersof graphene and an electrolyte interposed therebetween, each of the twoone-atom thick layers of graphene having an exterior surface adhered toa flexible substrate.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thesupercapacitor has a thickness of less than or equal to ten (10)micrometers (μm), an interspace distance between the two one-atom thicklayers of graphene is less than or equal to one hundred and fifty (150)micrometers (μm), and the electrolyte has a thickness of less than orequal to 150 μm.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, eachof the two one-atom thick layers of graphene includes a honeycomblattice of carbon atoms.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theelectrolyte is a solid-state electrolyte separator between the twoone-atom thick layers of graphene.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, theelectrolyte is an iongel or hydrogel electrolyte.

In some example implementations of the control body of any preceding orany subsequent example implementation, or any combination thereof, thesupercapacitor has a power density greater than or equal to one hundredand fifty (150) watts per centimeters cubed (W/cm³), and a time constantless than or equal to twenty (20) microseconds (μs).

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detaileddescription together with the accompanying drawings, which are brieflydescribed below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two,three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure,regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combinedor otherwise recited in a specific example implementation describedherein. This disclosure is intended to be read holistically such thatany separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of itsaspects and example implementations, should be viewed as intended,namely to be combinable, unless the context of the disclosure clearlydictates otherwise.

It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is providedmerely for purposes of summarizing some example implementations so as toprovide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure.Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described exampleimplementations are merely examples and should not be construed tonarrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other exampleimplementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of some described example implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described the disclosure in the foregoing general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol delivery device including acartridge coupled to a control body according to an exampleimplementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away view of the aerosol delivery deviceaccording to various example implementations;

FIG. 3 more particularly illustrates a power source of the control body,according to various example implementations of the present disclosure;and

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate various elements of the cartridge and controlbody, according to various example implementations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to example implementations thereof. These exampleimplementations are described so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theimplementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations areprovided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legalrequirements. As used in the specification and the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” “the” and the like include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As described hereinafter, example implementations of the presentdisclosure relate to aerosol delivery systems. Aerosol delivery systemsaccording to the present disclosure use electrical energy to heat amaterial (preferably without combusting the material to any significantdegree) to form an inhalable substance; and components of such systemshave the form of articles most preferably are sufficiently compact to beconsidered hand-held devices. That is, use of components of preferredaerosol delivery systems does not result in the production of smoke inthe sense that aerosol results principally from by-products ofcombustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, use of those preferredsystems results in the production of vapors resulting fromvolatilization or vaporization of certain components incorporatedtherein. In some example implementations, components of aerosol deliverysystems may be characterized as electronic cigarettes, and thoseelectronic cigarettes most preferably incorporate tobacco and/orcomponents derived from tobacco, and hence deliver tobacco derivedcomponents in aerosol form.

Aerosol generating pieces of certain preferred aerosol delivery systemsmay provide many of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalationrituals, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physicalfeel, use rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visibleaerosol, and the like) of smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe that isemployed by lighting and burning tobacco (and hence inhaling tobaccosmoke), without any substantial degree of combustion of any componentthereof. For example, the user of an aerosol generating piece of thepresent disclosure can hold and use that piece much like a smokeremploys a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of thatpiece for inhalation of aerosol produced by that piece, take or drawpuffs at selected intervals of time, and the like.

Aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure also can becharacterized as being vapor-producing articles or medicament deliveryarticles. Thus, such articles or devices can be adapted so as to provideone or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or pharmaceutical activeingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalablesubstances can be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., asubstance that is in the gas phase at a temperature lower than itscritical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances can be in the formof an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquiddroplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” asused herein is meant to include vapors, gases and aerosols of a form ortype suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible, and whetheror not of a form that might be considered to be smoke-like.

Aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure generally include anumber of components provided within an outer body or shell, which maybe referred to as a housing. The overall design of the outer body orshell can vary, and the format or configuration of the outer body thatcan define the overall size and shape of the aerosol delivery device canvary. Typically, an elongated body resembling the shape of a cigaretteor cigar can be a formed from a single, unitary housing or the elongatedhousing can be formed of two or more separable bodies. For example, anaerosol delivery device can comprise an elongated shell or body that canbe substantially tubular in shape and, as such, resemble the shape of aconventional cigarette or cigar. In one example, all of the componentsof the aerosol delivery device are contained within one housing.Alternatively, an aerosol delivery device can comprise two or morehousings that are joined and are separable. For example, an aerosoldelivery device can possess at one end a control body comprising ahousing containing one or more reusable components (e.g., an accumulatorsuch as a rechargeable battery and/or rechargeable supercapacitor, andvarious electronics for controlling the operation of that article), andat the other end and removably coupleable thereto, an outer body orshell containing a disposable portion (e.g., a disposableflavor-containing cartridge).

Aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure most preferablycomprise some combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical powersource), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating,controlling, regulating and ceasing power for heat generation, such asby controlling electrical current flow the power source to othercomponents of the article—e.g., a microprocessor, individually or aspart of a microcontroller), a heater or heat generation member (e.g., anelectrical resistance heating element or other component, which alone orin combination with one or more further elements may be commonlyreferred to as an “atomizer”), an aerosol precursor composition (e.g.,commonly a liquid capable of yielding an aerosol upon application ofsufficient heat, such as ingredients commonly referred to as “smokejuice,” “e-liquid” and “e-juice”), and a mouthend region or tip forallowing draw upon the aerosol delivery device for aerosol inhalation(e.g., a defined airflow path through the article such that aerosolgenerated can be withdrawn therefrom upon draw).

More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of componentswithin the aerosol delivery systems of the present disclosure will beevident in light of the further disclosure provided hereinafter.Additionally, the selection and arrangement of various aerosol deliverysystem components can be appreciated upon consideration of thecommercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, such asthose representative products referenced in background art section ofthe present disclosure. Further, the arrangement of the componentswithin the aerosol delivery device can also be appreciated uponconsideration of the commercially available electronic aerosol deliverydevices. Examples of commercially available products, for which thecomponents thereof, methods of operation thereof, materials includedtherein, and/or other attributes thereof may be included in the devicesof the present disclosure have been marketed as ACCORD® by Philip MorrisIncorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ andFLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; BLU™ by Lorillard Technologies, Inc.;COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™, MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ byEpuffer® International Inc.; DUOPRO™, STORM™ and VAPORKING® byElectronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ by Egar Australia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™by Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd; EONSMOKE® by Eonsmoke LLC; FIN™by FIN Branding Group, LLC; SMOKE® by Green Smoke Inc. USA; GREENARETTE™by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™ HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™ and PITBULL™by Smoke Stik®; HEATBAR™ by Philip Morris International, Inc.; HYDROIMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ by LOGICTechnology; LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO® by Nicotek, LLC; NJOY®and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc.; NO. 7™ by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUMELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™ by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™ by RuyanAmerica, Inc.; RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN® by RuyanGroup (Holdings) Ltd.; SF® by Smoker Friendly International, LLC; GREENSMART SMOKER® by The Smart Smoking Electronic Cigarette Company Ltd.;SMOKE ASSIST® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKING EVERYWHERE® by SmokingEverywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ by VMR Products LLC; VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNineLLC; VAPOR4LIFE® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™ by E-CigaretteDirect,LLC; AVIGO, VUSE, VUSE CONNECT, VUSE FOB, VUSE HYBRID, ALTO, ALTO+,MODO, CIRO, FOX+FOG, AND SOLO+ by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company; MISTICMENTHOL by Mistic Ecigs; and VYPE by CN Creative Ltd. Yet otherelectrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and in particular thosedevices that have been characterized as so-called electronic cigarettes,have been marketed under the tradenames COOLER VISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™;DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®; HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™;ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP®; SOUTH BEACH SMOKE™.

Additional manufacturers, designers, and/or assignees of components andrelated technologies that may be employed in the aerosol delivery deviceof the present disclosure include Shenzhen Jieshibo Technology ofShenzhen, China; Shenzhen First Union Technology of Shenzhen City,China; Safe Cig of Los Angeles, Calif.; Janty Asia Company of thePhilippines; Joyetech Changzhou Electronics of Shenzhen, China; SISResources; B2B International Holdings of Dover, Del.; Evolv LLC of OH;Montrade of Bologna, Italy; Shenzhen Bauway Technology of Shenzhen,China; Global Vapor Trademarks Inc. of Pompano Beach, Fla.; Vapor Corp.of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Nemtra GMBH of Raschau-Markersbach, Germany,Perrigo L. Co. of Allegan, Mich.; Needs Co., Ltd.; Smokefree Innotec ofLas Vegas, Nev.; McNeil A B of Helsingborg, Sweden; Chong Corp; AlexzaPharmaceuticals of Mountain View, Calif.; BLEC, LLC of Charlotte, N.C.;Gaitrend Sarl of Rohrbach-les-Bitche, France; FeelLife BioscienceInternational of Shenzhen, China; Vishay Electronic BMGH of Selb,Germany; Shenzhen Smaco Technology Ltd. of Shenzhen, China; VaporSystems International of Boca Raton, Fla.; Exonoid Medical Devices ofIsrael; Shenzhen Nowotech Electronic of Shenzhen, China; MinilogicDevice Corporation of Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Kontle Electronics ofShenzhen, China, and Fuma International, LLC of Medina, Ohio, 21stCentury Smoke of Beloit, Wis., and Kimree Holdings (HK) Co. Limited ofHong Kong, China.

In various examples, an aerosol delivery device can comprise a reservoirconfigured to retain the aerosol precursor composition. The reservoirparticularly can be formed of a porous material (e.g., a fibrousmaterial) and thus may be referred to as a porous substrate (e.g., afibrous substrate).

A fibrous substrate useful as a reservoir in an aerosol delivery devicecan be a woven or nonwoven material formed of a plurality of fibers orfilaments and can be formed of one or both of natural fibers andsynthetic fibers. For example, a fibrous substrate may comprise afiberglass material. In particular examples, a cellulose acetatematerial can be used. In other example implementations, a carbonmaterial can be used. A reservoir may be substantially in the form of acontainer and may include a fibrous material included therein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol delivery device 100including a control body 102 and a cartridge 104, according to variousexample implementations of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 1illustrates the control body and the cartridge coupled to one another.The control body and the cartridge may be detachably aligned in afunctioning relationship. Various mechanisms may connect the cartridgeto the control body to result in a threaded engagement, a press-fitengagement, an interference fit, a magnetic engagement or the like. Theaerosol delivery device may be substantially rod-like, substantiallytubular shaped, or substantially cylindrically shaped in some exampleimplementations when the cartridge and the control body are in anassembled configuration. The aerosol delivery device may also besubstantially rectangular or rhomboidal in cross-section, which may lenditself to greater compatibility with a substantially flat or thin-filmpower source, such as a power source including a flat battery. Thecartridge and control body may include separate, respective housings orouter bodies, which may be formed of any of a number of differentmaterials. The housing may be formed of any suitable, structurally-soundmaterial. In some examples, the housing may be formed of a metal oralloy, such as stainless steel, aluminum or the like. Other suitablematerials include various plastics (e.g., polycarbonate), metal-platingover plastic, ceramics and the like.

In some example implementations, one or both of the control body 102 orthe cartridge 104 of the aerosol delivery device 100 may be referred toas being disposable or as being reusable. For example, the control bodymay have a replaceable battery or a rechargeable battery or arechargeable supercapacitor and thus may be combined with any type ofrecharging technology, including connection to a typical alternatingcurrent electrical outlet, connection to a car charger (i.e., acigarette lighter receptacle), connection to a computer, such as througha universal serial bus (USB) cable or connector, connection to aphotovoltaic cell (sometimes referred to as a solar cell) or solar panelof solar cells, or connection to a RF-to-DC converter. Further, in someexample implementations, the cartridge may comprise a single-usecartridge, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al.,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIG. 2 more particularly illustrates the aerosol delivery device 100, inaccordance with some example implementations. As seen in the cut-awayview illustrated therein, again, the aerosol delivery device cancomprise a control body 102 and a cartridge 104 each of which include anumber of respective components. The components illustrated in FIG. 2are representative of the components that may be present in a controlbody and cartridge and are not intended to limit the scope of componentsthat are encompassed by the present disclosure. As shown, for example,the control body can be formed of a control body shell 206 that caninclude a control component 208 (e.g., a microprocessor, individually oras part of a microcontroller), a flow sensor 210, a power source 212 andone or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 214, and such components can bevariably aligned. The power source may include, for example, a battery(single-use or rechargeable), lithium-ion battery (LiB), solid-statebattery (SSB), thin-film SSB, rechargeable supercapacitor or the like,or some combination thereof. Some examples of a suitable power sourceare provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/918,926 to Sur etal., filed Oct. 21, 2015, which is incorporated by reference in itsentirety. The LED may be one example of a suitable visual indicator withwhich the aerosol delivery device 100 may be equipped. Other indicatorssuch as audio indicators (e.g., speakers), haptic indicators (e.g.,vibration motors) or the like can be included in addition to or as analternative to visual indicators such as the LED.

The cartridge 104 can be formed of a cartridge shell 216 enclosing areservoir 218 configured to retain the aerosol precursor composition,and including a heater 220 (sometimes referred to as a heating element).In various configurations, this structure may be referred to as a tank;and accordingly, the terms “cartridge,” “tank” and the like may be usedinterchangeably to refer to a shell or other housing enclosing areservoir for aerosol precursor composition, and including a heater.

As shown, in some examples, the reservoir 218 may be in fluidcommunication with a liquid transport element 222 adapted to wick orotherwise transport an aerosol precursor composition stored in thereservoir housing to the heater 220 (sometimes referred to as a heatingelement). In some examples, a valve may be positioned between thereservoir and heater, and configured to control an amount of aerosolprecursor composition passed or delivered from the reservoir to theheater.

Various examples of materials configured to produce heat when electricalcurrent is applied therethrough may be employed to form the heater 220.The heater in these examples may be a resistive heating element such asa wire coil, microheater or the like. Example materials from which thewire coil may be formed include Kanthal (FeCrAl), Nichrome, stainlesssteel, Molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂), molybdenum silicide (MoSi),Molybdenum disilicide doped with Aluminum (Mo(Si,Al)₂), graphite andgraphite-based materials (e.g., carbon-based foams and yarns) andceramics (e.g., positive or negative temperature coefficient ceramics).Example implementations of heaters or heating members useful in aerosoldelivery devices according to the present disclosure are furtherdescribed below, and can be incorporated into devices such asillustrated in FIG. 2 as described herein.

An opening 224 may be present in the cartridge shell 216 (e.g., at themouthend) to allow for egress of formed aerosol from the cartridge 104.

The cartridge 104 also may include one or more electronic components226, which may include an integrated circuit, a memory component, asensor, or the like. The electronic components may be adapted tocommunicate with the control component 208 and/or with an externaldevice by wired or wireless means. The electronic components may bepositioned anywhere within the cartridge or a base 228 thereof.

Although the control component 208 and the flow sensor 210 areillustrated separately, it is understood that the control component andthe flow sensor may be combined as an electronic circuit board with theair flow sensor attached directly thereto. Further, the electroniccircuit board may be positioned horizontally relative the illustrationof FIG. 1 in that the electronic circuit board can be lengthwiseparallel to the central axis of the control body. In some examples, theair flow sensor may comprise its own circuit board or other base elementto which it can be attached. In some examples, a flexible circuit boardmay be utilized. A flexible circuit board may be configured into avariety of shapes, include substantially tubular shapes. In someexamples, a flexible circuit board may be combined with, layered onto,or form part or all of a heater substrate as further described below.

The control body 102 and the cartridge 104 may include componentsadapted to facilitate a fluid engagement therebetween. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the control body can include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232therein. The base 228 of the cartridge can be adapted to engage thecoupler and can include a projection 234 adapted to fit within thecavity. Such engagement can facilitate a stable connection between thecontrol body and the cartridge as well as establish an electricalconnection between the power source 212 and control component 208 in thecontrol body and the heater 220 in the cartridge. Further, the controlbody shell 206 can include an air intake 236, which may be a notch inthe shell where it connects to the coupler that allows for passage ofambient air around the coupler and into the shell where it then passesthrough the cavity 232 of the coupler and into the cartridge through theprojection 234.

A coupler and a base useful according to the present disclosure aredescribed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. For example, thecoupler 230 as seen in FIG. 2 may define an outer periphery 238configured to mate with an inner periphery 240 of the base 228. In oneexample the inner periphery of the base may define a radius that issubstantially equal to, or slightly greater than, a radius of the outerperiphery of the coupler. Further, the coupler may define one or moreprotrusions 242 at the outer periphery configured to engage one or morerecesses 244 defined at the inner periphery of the base. However,various other examples of structures, shapes and components may beemployed to couple the base to the coupler. In some examples theconnection between the base of the cartridge 104 and the coupler of thecontrol body 102 may be substantially permanent, whereas in otherexamples the connection therebetween may be releasable such that, forexample, the control body may be reused with one or more additionalcartridges that may be disposable and/or refillable.

The aerosol delivery device 100 may be substantially rod-like orsubstantially tubular shaped or substantially cylindrically shaped insome examples. In other examples, further shapes and dimensions areencompassed—e.g., a rectangular or triangular cross-section,multifaceted shapes, or the like.

The reservoir 218 illustrated in FIG. 2 can be a container or can be afibrous reservoir, as presently described. For example, the reservoircan comprise one or more layers of nonwoven fibers substantially formedinto the shape of a tube encircling the interior of the cartridge shell216, in this example. An aerosol precursor composition can be retainedin the reservoir. Liquid components, for example, can be sorptivelyretained by the reservoir. The reservoir can be in fluid connection withthe liquid transport element 222. The liquid transport element cantransport the aerosol precursor composition stored in the reservoir viacapillary action to the heater 222 that is in the form of a metal wirecoil in this example. As such, the heater is in a heating arrangementwith the liquid transport element. Example implementations of reservoirsand transport elements useful in aerosol delivery devices according tothe present disclosure are further described below, and such reservoirsand/or transport elements can be incorporated into devices such asillustrated in FIG. 2 as described herein. In particular, specificcombinations of heating members and transport elements as furtherdescribed below may be incorporated into devices such as illustrated inFIG. 2 as described herein.

In use, when a user draws on the aerosol delivery device 100, airflow isdetected by the flow sensor 210, and the heater 220 is activated tovaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition. Drawing uponthe mouthend of the aerosol delivery device causes ambient air to enterthe air intake 236 and pass through the cavity 232 in the coupler 230and the central opening in the projection 234 of the base 228. In thecartridge 104, the drawn air combines with the formed vapor to form anaerosol. The aerosol is whisked, aspirated or otherwise drawn away fromthe heater and out the opening 224 in the mouthend of the aerosoldelivery device.

In some examples, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include a numberof additional software-controlled functions. For example, the aerosoldelivery device may include a power-source protection circuit configuredto detect power-source input, temperature output of the power-source,loads on the power-source terminals, and charging input. Thepower-source protection circuit may include short-circuit protection,maximum charging current, under-voltage lock out and/or over-voltagecharge protection. The aerosol delivery device may also includecomponents for ambient temperature measurement, and its controlcomponent 208 may be configured to control at least one functionalelement to inhibit power-source charging—particularly of any battery—ifthe ambient temperature is below a certain temperature (e.g., 0° C.) orabove a certain temperature (e.g., 45° C.) prior to start of charging orduring charging.

Power delivery from the power source 212 may vary over the course ofeach puff on the device 100 according to a power control mechanism. Thedevice may include a “long puff” safety timer such that in the eventthat a user or component failure (e.g., flow sensor 210) causes thedevice to attempt to puff continuously, the control component 208 maycontrol at least one functional element to terminate the puffautomatically after some period of time (e.g., four seconds). Further,the time between puffs on the device may be restricted to less than aperiod of time (e.g., 100 seconds). A watchdog safety timer mayautomatically reset the aerosol delivery device if its control componentor software running on it becomes unstable and does not service thetimer within an appropriate time interval (e.g., eight seconds). Furthersafety protection may be provided in the event of a defective orotherwise failed flow sensor 210, such as by permanently disabling theaerosol delivery device in order to prevent inadvertent heating. Apuffing limit switch may deactivate the device in the event of apressure sensor fail causing the device to continuously activate withoutstopping after the four second maximum puff time.

The aerosol delivery device 100 may include a puff tracking algorithmconfigured for heater lockout once a defined number of puffs has beenachieved for an attached cartridge (based on the number of availablepuffs calculated in light of the e-liquid charge in the cartridge). Itmay also include an actual near or real-time liquid level sensor, asdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/261,307 to Sur et al.,filed Sep. 9, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference. Theaerosol delivery device may include a sleep, standby or low-power modefunction whereby power delivery may be automatically cut off after adefined period of non-use. Further safety protection may be provided inthat all charge/discharge cycles of the power source 212 may bemonitored by the control component 208 over its lifetime. After thepower source has attained the equivalent of a predetermined number(e.g., 200) of full discharge and full recharge cycles, it may bedeclared depleted, and the control component may control at least onefunctional element to prevent further charging of the power source.

The various components of an aerosol delivery device according to thepresent disclosure can be chosen from components described in the artand commercially available. Examples of batteries that can be usedaccording to the disclosure are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2010/0028766 to Peckerar et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

The aerosol delivery device 100 can incorporate the sensor 210 oranother sensor or detector for control of supply of electric power tothe heater 220 when aerosol generation is desired (e.g., upon drawduring use). As such, for example, there is provided a manner or methodof turning off power to the heater when the aerosol delivery device isnot be drawn upon during use, and for turning on power to actuate ortrigger the generation of heat by the heater during draw. Additionalrepresentative types of sensing or detection mechanisms, structure andconfiguration thereof, components thereof, and general methods ofoperation thereof, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel,Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., and PCT Pat. App.Pub. No. WO 2010/003480 to Flick, all of which are incorporated hereinby reference in their entireties.

The aerosol delivery device 100 most preferably incorporates the controlcomponent 208 or another control mechanism for controlling the amount ofelectric power to the heater 220 during draw. Representative types ofelectronic components, structure and configuration thereof, featuresthereof, and general methods of operation thereof, are described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,874 to Brooks etal., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No.6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen etal., U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622 to Pan, U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2009/0230117 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0060554 toCollet et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0270727 to Ampolini et al.,and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/209,191 to Henry et al., filedMar. 13, 2014, all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties.

Representative types of substrates, reservoirs or other components forsupporting the aerosol precursor are described in U.S. Pat. No.8,528,569 to Newton, U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0261487 to Chapman etal., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/011,992 to Davis et al., filedAug. 28, 2013, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/170,838 to Blesset al., filed Feb. 3, 2014, all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. Additionally, various wicking materials,and the configuration and operation of those wicking materials withincertain types of electronic cigarettes, are set forth in U.S. Pat. App.Pub. No. 2014/0209105 to Sears et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

The aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursorcomposition, may comprise a variety of components including, by way ofexample, a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol or amixture thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract and/or flavorants.Representative types of aerosol precursor components and formulationsalso are set forth and characterized in U.S. Pat. No. 7,217,320 toRobinson et al. and U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al.;2013/0213417 to Chong et al.; 2014/0060554 to Collett et al.;2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al.; and 2015/0020830 to Koller, as well asWO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference. Other aerosol precursors that may be employedinclude the aerosol precursors that have been incorporated in the VUSE®product by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLU™ product by ImperialTobacco Group PLC, the MISTIC MENTHOL product by Mistic Ecigs, and theVYPE product by CN Creative Ltd. Also desirable are the so-called “smokejuices” for electronic cigarettes that have been available from JohnsonCreek Enterprises LLC.

Additional representative types of components that yield visual cues orindicators may be employed in the aerosol delivery device 100, such asvisual indicators and related components, audio indicators, hapticindicators and the like. Examples of suitable LED components, and theconfigurations and uses thereof, are described in U.S. Pat. No.5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,499,766 to Newton, U.S.Pat. No. 8,539,959 to Scatterday, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/173,266 to Sears et al., filed Feb. 5, 2014, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Yet other features, controls or components that can be incorporated intoaerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure are described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkinset al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al., U.S. Pat. No.6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,365,742 to Hon, U.S.Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2005/0016550 to Katase, U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0163063 to Fernandoet al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2013/0192623 to Tucker et al., U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2013/0298905 to Leven et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2013/0180553 to Kim et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0000638 toSebastian et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al.,and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0261408 to DePiano et al., all of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The control component 208 includes a number of electronic components,and in some examples may be formed of a printed circuit board (PCB) thatsupports and electrically connects the electronic components. Theelectronic components may include a microprocessor or processor core,and a memory. In some examples, the control component may include amicrocontroller with integrated processor core and memory, and which mayfurther include one or more integrated input/output peripherals. In someexamples, the control component may be coupled to a communicationinterface to enable wireless communication with one or more networks,computing devices or other appropriately-enabled devices. Examples ofsuitable communication interfaces are disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/638,562, filed Mar. 4, 2015, to Marion et al.,the content of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Andexamples of suitable manners according to which the aerosol deliverydevice may be configured to wirelessly communicate are disclosed in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/327,776, filed Jul. 10, 2014, to Ampoliniet al., and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/609,032, filed Jan. 29,2015, to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

In accordance with some example implementations, the power source 212 ofthe control body 102 may be or include a supercapacitor that has acorrugated graphene-based structure. In some examples, thesupercapacitor may be a microscopic supercapacitor that has asubstantially small thickness such as a thickness of less than or equalto ten (10) micrometers (μm). Examples of suitable supercapacitors aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,687 to Lewis et al. and U.S. Pat. No.7,852,612 to Zhao, each of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

As shown in FIG. 3, the power source 212 may be connected to anelectrical load 302 that includes various components of the control body102, and that may also various components of the cartridge 104 such asthe heater 222 when the control body is coupled with the cartridge. Inthese examples, the power source may include a supercapacitor SCconfigured to power to the heater to activate and vaporize components ofan aerosol precursor composition. In some examples, the supercapacitormay have a power density greater than or equal to one hundred and fifty(150) watts per centimeters cubed (W/cm³), and a time constant less thanor equal to twenty (20) microseconds (μs). It should be noted thatalthough the example implementations are discussed with reference to asingle supercapacitor, the power source may comprise a plurality ofsupercapacitors including the supercapacitor connected in parallel.

As further shown in FIG. 3, in some examples, the power source 212 mayalso include a rechargeable thin-film solid state battery SSB that isconnectable with, and chargeable from the rechargeable supercapacitorSC. In these examples, the power source may be configured to power theheater 222 from the thin-film solid state battery. Additionally oralternatively, in some examples, the supercapacitor may be connectablewith and chargeable from a source of energy E, as shown in FIG. 4. Thesource of energy may be or include, for example, a universal serial bus(USB) charger such as either of the USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 versions, wallcharger, photovoltaic cell (e.g., Gallium Arsenide solar cell) orpiezoelectric energy source, or the like.

It should be noted that while the supercapacitor SC is depicted as beingseparate from and connectable with the source of energy E, thesupercapacitor may be integrated with the source of energy. For example,in some implementations, the supercapacitor may be integrated with aphotovoltaic cell (Gallium Arsenide with 28.8% efficiency) orpiezoelectric energy source. Examples of suitable piezoelectric energysources are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,421,313 to Shih et al. and U.S.Patent Application No. 2014/0285067 to Li et al., each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

As indicated above, the supercapacitor SC of the power source 212 mayhave a corrugated graphene-based structure or maybe a EDLC or electrodielectric layer capacitor. FIG. 5 more particularly illustrates asuitable corrugated graphene-based structure 500 of the supercapacitor.As shown, the corrugated graphene-based structure may include twoone-atom thick layers of graphene 502 that each includes a honeycomblattice of carbon atoms 504. The corrugated structure may also comprisethe layers of graphene having an electrolyte 506 interposedtherebetween. The electrolyte may be a solid-state electrolyteseparator, an iongel, or a hydrogel that is interposed between the twoone-atom thick layers of graphene and has a thickness of less than orequal to one hundred and fifty (150) micrometers (μm). As such, theinterspace distance between the two one-atom thick layers of graphenemay be less than or equal to 150 μm. The exterior surface of each layerof graphene may be adhered to a respective flexible substrate 508.

Referring again to FIG. 2, in an alternative implementation the controlcomponent 208 of the control body 102 may include an analog electroniccomponent configured to direct a constant current from the power source212 to the heater 222 in response to user input. In some examples, theconstant current may be set by adjusting the resistance value of a pairof resistors in which the resistors are utilized to determine theconstant current of a linear regulator. In particular, the analogelectronic component may, in response to user input, be configured toreceive current from the supercapacitor SC, and thereby direct aconstant current to the heater 222 and thereby cause the heater toactivate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition inresponse to user input. In particular, the analog electronic componentmay be configured to direct the constant current to the heaterindependent of a digital processor such as without requiring use of thedigital processor to initiate or otherwise further effect directing theconstant current to the heater, as described in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/261,336 to Sur et al., filed Sep. 9, 2016, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The foregoing description of use of the article(s) can be applied to thevarious example implementations described herein through minormodifications, which can be apparent to the person of skill in the artin light of the further disclosure provided herein. The abovedescription of use, however, is not intended to limit the use of thearticle but is provided to comply with all necessary requirements ofdisclosure of the present disclosure. Any of the elements shown in thearticle(s) illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 or as otherwise described above maybe included in an aerosol delivery device according to the presentdisclosure.

Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which thisdisclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specificimplementations disclosed, and that modifications and otherimplementations are intended to be included within the scope of theappended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and theassociated drawings describe example implementations in the context ofcertain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should beappreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions maybe provided by alternative implementations without departing from thescope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, differentcombinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitlydescribed above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of theappended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An aerosol delivery device comprising at leastone housing defining a reservoir configured to retain aerosol precursorcomposition, and contained within the at least one housing: an atomizercontrollable to activate and vaporize components of the aerosolprecursor composition; and a power source configured to power theatomizer to activate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursorcomposition, the power source comprising a rechargeable supercapacitorhaving a corrugated graphene-based structure, wherein the rechargeablesupercapacitor is integrated with a photovoltaic cell or piezoelectricenergy source; and wherein the power source further comprises arechargeable thin-film solid state battery connectable with andchargeable from the rechargeable supercapacitor, and the power sourcebeing configured to provide power to the atomizer includes beingconfigured to provide power from the rechargeable thin-film solid statebattery to the atomizer.
 2. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1,wherein the power source comprises a plurality of rechargeablesupercapacitors including the rechargeable supercapacitor connected inparallel.
 3. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein thecorrugated graphene-based structure includes two one-atom thick layersof graphene and an electrolyte interposed therebetween, each of the twoone-atom thick layers of graphene having an exterior surface adhered toa flexible substrate.
 4. The aerosol delivery device of claim 3, whereinthe rechargeable supercapacitor has a thickness of less than or equal toten (10) micrometers (μm).
 5. The aerosol delivery device of claim 3,wherein each of the two one-atom thick layers of graphene includes ahoneycomb lattice of carbon atoms.
 6. The aerosol delivery device ofclaim 3, wherein the electrolyte is a solid-state electrolyte separatorbetween the two one-atom thick layers of graphene.
 7. The aerosoldelivery device of claim 3, wherein the electrolyte is an iongel orhydrogel electrolyte.
 8. The aerosol delivery device of claim 3, whereinan interspace distance between the two one-atom thick layers of grapheneis less than or equal to one hundred and fifty (150) micrometers (μm),and the electrolyte has a thickness of less than or equal to 150 μm. 9.The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the rechargeablesupercapacitor has a power density greater than or equal to one hundredand fifty (150) watts per centimeters cubed (W/cm³), and a time constantless than or equal to twenty (20) microseconds (μs).
 10. The aerosoldelivery device of claim 1, wherein the atomizer comprises a heatingelement.
 11. A control body coupled or coupleable with a cartridge toform an aerosol delivery device, the cartridge containing an aerosolprecursor composition and being equipped with an atomizer configured toactivate and vaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition,the control body comprising: a housing; and a power source containedwithin the housing and configured to power the atomizer to activate andvaporize components of the aerosol precursor composition, the powersource comprising a rechargeable supercapacitor having a corrugatedgraphene-based structure, wherein the rechargeable supercapacitor isintegrated with a photovoltaic cell or piezoelectric energy source; andwherein the power source further comprises a rechargeable thin-filmsolid state battery connectable with and chargeable from therechargeable supercapacitor, and the power source being configured toprovide power to the atomizer includes being configured to provide powerfrom the rechargeable thin-film solid state battery to the atomizer. 12.The control body of claim 11, wherein the atomizer comprises a heatingelement.
 13. The control body of claim 11, wherein the power sourcecomprises a plurality of rechargeable supercapacitors including therechargeable supercapacitor connected in parallel.
 14. The control bodyof claim 11, wherein the corrugated graphene-based structure includestwo one-atom thick layers of graphene and an electrolyte interposedtherebetween, each of the two one-atom thick layers of graphene havingan exterior surface adhered to a flexible substrate.
 15. The controlbody of claim 14, wherein the rechargeable supercapacitor has athickness of less than or equal to ten (10) micrometers (μm).
 16. Thecontrol body of claim 14, wherein each of the two one-atom thick layersof graphene includes a honeycomb lattice of carbon atoms.
 17. Thecontrol body of claim 14, wherein the electrolyte is a solid-stateelectrolyte separator between the two one-atom thick layers of graphene.18. The control body of claim 14, wherein the electrolyte is an iongelor hydrogel electrolyte.
 19. The control body of claim 14, wherein aninterspace distance between the two one-atom thick layers of graphene isless than or equal to one hundred and fifty (150) micrometers (μm), andthe electrolyte has a thickness of less than or equal to 150 μm.
 20. Thecontrol body of claim 11, wherein the rechargeable supercapacitor has apower density greater than or equal to one hundred and fifty (150) wattsper centimeters cubed (W/cm³), and a time constant less than or equal totwenty (20) microseconds (μs).